Foldformed Circle Earrings

This instructable will show you how to make your own foldformed earrings with some basic tools.  The possible designs are endless!  

You will need the following tools to complete this project:
1) circle template
2) marker
3) files 
4) 0.4-0.6mm thick piece of coper
5) hammers - rawhide & metal
6) shears
7) anvil or steel plate
8) hole punch for piercing metal, drill or dremel
9) torch, kiln or natural gas stove to anneal copper

Use the circle template to draw circles on your copper.  My circles had a diameter of 1.5".  Cut out the circles with your shears & file the edges smooth.

Fold your copper circles in half & hammer flat with rawhide mallet.

Hammer fold edge with metal hammer.

The copper is stiff after all the hammering.  Therefore, anneal it before going to the next step.  You can use a torch such as propane or butane to anneal your copper.  I held my pieces over one of the burners on my natural gas stove.  When the copper turns dull red - it's annealed. Quench the piece by dropping it in a container of water.  Dry thoroughly before continuing.  

Open up the copper & hammer on the fold.  

You can hammer as many folds into your piece as you like.  I chose to do four folds to get a "star" pattern.

Add holes for your ear wire.  I used a punch for piercing thin gauge metal, but a rotary hand tool (dremel) or drill would work equally well.

You can lightly sand your copper circles with 500 or 600 grit sandpaper or drop them in a pickle to remove all the firescale (black & red spots).  I used a pickle because it's faster.  My pickle is made from a super saturated solution of vinegar and sea salt.  Finally I added the ear wire which you can buy in the jewelry section of your local craft store or Walmart.  I decided to keep going with these earrings, so I cut out parts of the edges, textured them with hammers and stamps, plus used purple Sharpies for color.